Recommended Reading: What every child should know along the way

Don’t you love it when kids “help”? Like the time our kids wanted to help by washing the car…they did an awesome job, until we walked outside and realized the sunroof was open and we had 6 feet of standing water in the car. Or, when they are helping put away the dishes and they break a bowl…no big deal, except you only had three left in that set in the first place. 🙂 or, when they want to help you bake and it takes 5 times as long to make those chocolate chip cookies?

I found a book I’ve had in my library called, “What my Child Should Know Along the Way”. It is a great resource to begin training your little ones, giving them age-specific chores. Each year has a list of chores a child should be trained to do during that year. As they acquire the skill, you check it off. My goal is to make sure as they grow up I am training them to be fully-functioning adults, not just get my stuff done as quickly as possible.

This is a great page to copy and hang up to help your semi-independent children remember what they should accomplish (without reminders from mom!!) each morning.

This is my favorite part of the book. It gives a list of things a child can do, beginning at age 3, such as putting away their shoes or feeding the dog. The wonderful thing about the lists is that they are unique, there is no repetition from earlier lists. For my nine year old guy, he is being challenged to be able to make simple meals, such as Mac and Cheese, clean out the car, neatly fold his clothes (lots of growing to do here!! 😉 and string his own fishing line. Great ideas for learning projects. You would think the kids would moan about these “learning projects”…(I’ve got to think of a better name!! Ha!!) but they actually are excited to be independent, challenged and have some grown-up responsibilities. The older they get, they become more of a help! But more importantly, they are going to know how to do many things they need to know as they go off into life. The book is on Amazon for $15.00 used. Here is the link: What Every Child Should Know Along the Way by Gail Martin.We tell our kids, if we all work together, mom and dad will have more time to play with them. They like that motivation!I hope this blesses your family, Kristen

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